PACE EH, Michigan

The Muskegon County Health Department, Muskegon, Michigan

Building and Using a SuccessfulPACE EHTeam

Developing an inventory of environmental interest groups in the community is extremely important before beginning PACE EH(Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health). Identifying these organizations takes time and research, but is well worth the initial investment. In Muskegon County, MI, groups that were not directly involved in "environmental endeavors" did not immediately see the connection between their organizations and the health of the environment.

To ensure that community participants in the PACE EHproject are getting as much as possible from the work of the team it is important to:

• Treat all opinions with respect;
• Ask questions to understand team members' points of view;
• Keep conversations simple, avoiding the use of jargon; and
• Use creativity to complete tasks, keeping the team interested and participating.

Contact:
Jill Montgomery
Public Health Quality Improvement Specialist
montgomeryji@co.muskegon.mi.us